New Kid Town in
KS Hawai‘i senior Brianna Kaalakea KSH’14 reflects on her experience of transferring to the campus last year
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ftentimes, when people think about being the “new kid” in school, visions of confusion and awkward introductions immediately come to mind. The “new kid” stereotype has always existed in the minds of students and parents alike. Parents worry, teenagers complain, and yet the world keeps turning. The whole experience of entering a new school is terrifying, to say the least. However, one thing that is even more terrifying than that would have to be transferring from one high school to another in the middle of your high school career.
wasn’t of elation or pride, it was of worry. How could I possibly leave all my lifelong friends behind and make a new niche for myself in such a prestigious school? After some thought on the situation, I came to the realization that I could handle it. I knew why I wanted to get into Kamehameha Schools in the first place, and that was to have more opportunities available to me than what I would have if I were to stay at Hawai‘i Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School (HAAS), which I had been attending. Although, HAAS had done so
“new kid” and more like a new addition to the KS ‘ohana. The goal of being an ‘ohana is a focal point that KSH strives to maintain in all situations. You can feel the connectivity that runs throughout the school grounds. With myself being a new student in the middle of high school I felt like I was intruding in some way. Nearly everyone on the campus had grown up together. The friendships that were to be found were ones that had been formed from the very beginning of childhood. Despite the dissimilarities, the values and mindsets that Pauahi hoped to imbue in
The goal of being an ’ohana is a focal point that KSH strives to maintain in all situations. And that’s what happened to me. With high school being one of the most stressful and fear-inducing times of a teenagers life, it’s understandable that people will assume that Murphy’s Law will kick in and any hopes of a social life will be annihilated. In spite of this belief, life isn’t exactly like the movies. Although there may be the occasional case of school drama, there will never be anything similar to the likes of a television series. When I first discovered that I had been accepted to Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i (KSH) for my junior year in high school, my first thought
much to provide the best that they could for me at the time, I knew that I was ready to take the next step into my future. Despite my nerves, I had a strong resolve to make my attendance at Kamehameha Schools the best that it could be. Upon my arrival at KSH, on the first day of school, people started introducing themselves and offering to show me where my classes would be. This welcoming surprised me because I had already jumped to the conclusion that my first day would be an awkward and confusing day. In spite of my worries, the students and staff of KS Hawai‘i helped me feel comfortable and less like the
the students of Kamehameha Schools were very much there. Everyone displayed the attributes of being “good and industrious men and women” that Pauahi hoped that all Hawaiian people would instill within themselves. Through my personal experience, I can honestly say that the people who attend KSH have taken these attributes to heart and practice it in every way possible. As the school year progressed I came to understand why it was such a privilege to attend Kamehameha Schools. I could see it wasn’t that they are the largest landowner in Hawai‘i or because of its $9 billion trust, but rather in the services they give to their students so freely. It is obvious that the teachers make it a point that they aren’t there for the paycheck; they’re there to educate the students. Although they do enjoy the benefits of working at KS, they all know the real purpose behind their jobs. Left: Brianna with her classmate Manaola Peleiholani-Blankenfeld showing their class colors.
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Kamehameha Schools Hawai’i senior Brianna Kaalakea spent her summer interning with the school’s Community Relations and Communications group located at Kawaiaha’o Plaza in Honolulu.
Some teachers who really helped me along the way would have to be my 11th grade English teacher Mr. Clint Anderson and my Ke Ano (Advisory) teacher Kumu Layne Richards. These teachers, and the many others who helped me throughout my school year, helped me strive to my fullest, even going great lengths to create a different curriculum for me so I wouldn’t be repeating topics that I had already covered. It was little tweaks and changes like these that really helped me adjust fully into my new school. It enabled me to become closer to my teachers and truly develop those studentteacher relationships that are key to doing well in a classroom. Although the classroom was a great place to get to learn about my fellow classmates, it didn’t really bring me closer to them as an individual. Not surprisingly though, the school had already thought of this beforehand. Through activities and major events the class was able to grow as a whole and come together in meaningful ways. Events like Ho‘olaule‘a and Höike enabled students to come together and bond through the schools’ unity. By the end of my junior year I didn’t feel like the “new kid” anymore, I felt like I was part of an ‘ohana once again. I think that this is something that all schools should strive for when they welcome a new student into their ranks. I know that the charter school that I came from tries to achieve the same thing that KS provides for me and it gives me hope knowing that there are other schools trying to share the aloha spirit that is engrained in Hawai‘i and its people.